


The Talk

by cc tinslebee (Doitlikeagreaser)



Series: The Redemption of Ryan Howard [3]
Category: The Office (US)
Genre: Coming Out, Cross-Generational Friendship, Death in Paradise References, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Polyamorous Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23198584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doitlikeagreaser/pseuds/cc%20tinslebee
Summary: The episode ended and Ryan took notice of how the Halpert daughter was zoning out. “Something on your mind?” he asked as he paused the credits.Cecelia was never one for being spontaneous, especially when it came to possibly life-changing questions, but she knew that there was no time like the present. That and she knew that if she didn’t ask it now, she never would. “Are you having sex with my mom?”Ryan nearly choked on his coffee. “Sorry—what?”
Relationships: Cecelia Halpert & Ryan Howard, Jim Halpert/Ryan Howard, Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert/Ryan Howard, Pam Beesly/Ryan Howard
Series: The Redemption of Ryan Howard [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674481
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	The Talk

Cecelia Halpert lived with Ryan Howard for a little over eight of her eleven years alive. He and his son, Drake had been living in her house for as long as she could remember. She never knew _why_ that was, but she never questioned it. Until, of course, one morning.

“Are you sure you don’t mind staying home from work to watch the kids today, Ryan?” Cecelia’s mother, Pam asked, beginning to clear the kitchen table of empty breakfast plates. “I’d hate for you to miss something important.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Pam. Nothing vital is happening for me to miss,” Ryan replied. He reached for the plates in her hands. “Here, let me get those for you.”

Pam smiled and mumbled a small “thanks” before kissing her daughter and son on the forehead. 

“Besides, I know you have that meeting about a new mural and Jim’s got a couple of clients to speak to today,” Ryan continued. “It’s much easier than hiring a babysitter on short notice; the kids probably think they’re too old for that anyhow. I should be able to work from home and spend some time with them. Right, Drake?”

The nine-year-old boy smiled softly at Ryan. “Sure, Dad. But Phillip said that he’d help me with my science project today, so we can hang out with you once we’re done with that.”

“We’ll get started after Mom and Dad leave, so we’ll probably be free by lunch,” added the ten-year-old Phillip Halpert.

Ryan grinned, “Sounds like a plan.”

Jim emerged from the other room with his satchel in hand, “Ready, Pam?”

Pam nodded and tossed him the keys to the car. She gave her children a side hug and ruffled Drake’s hair affectionately before moving back to Ryan’s side. In turn, Jim hugged each of the children and patted Ryan’s back fondly. Jim turned to leave and Cecelia watched as Pam quickly kissed Ryan on the cheek before following her husband out the door.

“Love you; be safe!” she chimed, Jim echoing her affectionate statements.

“You too!” Ryan and the children called as Pam closed the doors.

Phillip and Drake quickly scattered off to their room. Ryan chuckled at them as he took a sip of coffee.

“Do you want to watch some Netflix, Ceec?” Ryan offered, setting his coffee mug down.

Cecelia shrugged, “Sure.”

Ryan nodded with a small “Alright,” moving over to the family room couch. He sat to her left and crossed his legs.

She watched quietly as he turned on the television and opened Netflix. They were usually quiet around each other, like they didn’t know how to act in front of the other. Cecelia never did understand how someone could spend most of their life around a person and not know how to interact with them. 

“So,” Ryan drawled, breaking the silence. “What did you want to watch?”

Cecelia thought for a moment. “Death in Paradise,” she decided.

“Nice,” Ryan smiled in approval. “Season three: episode one, right? _Death of a Detective_?”

Cecelia nodded and grinned. The episode was kind of a bummer in the respects of poor Detective Poole and his friends, but it was the first episode that introduced her favorite character, Humphrey Goodman: the comically klutzy, British detective.

“Nice choice, Halpert the Junior,” Ryan commented lightheartedly as he hit _play_.

Towards the end of the episode, Cecelia couldn’t help but think of her own mystery. She had never seriously questioned why Ryan and Drake lived with her family before. However, after the incident that morning as well as various other small things she had picked up on throughout the past couple of months, Cecelia was more curious than ever. 

The episode ended and Ryan took notice of how the Halpert daughter was zoning out. “Something on your mind?” he asked as he paused the credits.

Cecelia was never one for being spontaneous, especially when it came to possibly life-changing questions, but she knew that there was no time like the present. That and she knew that if she didn’t ask it now, she never would. “Are you having sex with my mom?”

Ryan nearly choked on his coffee. “Sorry—what?”

“I’m sorry,” she apologised quickly, “I just have to know. I mean, it’s just—”

“No, no. It’s okay,” Ryan reassured her, wiping spilt coffee from his mouth. “I just wasn’t expecting to have this conversation with you until you were at _least_ thirteen. You’re eleven, how do you even know about that stuff?”

Cecelia shrugged. “Consider the people you worked with at Dunder Mifflin. Now consider the fact that I’m around a lot of these people’s kids.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” Ryan resigned.

“So, what’s the answer?”

“Don’t you have school to go to?”

“It’s a professional development day,” Cecelia countered.

“That’s right too,” Ryan sighed. 

“So?”

“My relationship with your parents is… complicated.”  
“I have time.”

“Right,” Ryan thought for a moment. “Then you have to let me explain to you the nature of my relationship with your mom and dad, okay?”  
Cecelia nodded.

“Okay,” Ryan repeated. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Cecelia looked at him intently.

“Okay, okay. Here goes nothing,” Ryan submitted. “When Drake was really little, before we started living with you guys, I made a really, _really_ idiotic mistake at Angela and Dwight’s wedding. Let’s just say that the next day, I woke up someplace I actually didn’t want to be and I didn’t have Drake with me. Now I hate to admit that it was out of idiocy rather than neglect—not that I’m saying that one is better than the other. 

Ryan looked straight at Cecelia. “That was the day I realized that I wasn’t made to live in the same ‘normal’ as most people wanted or expected to want. It was hard for me to commit to things and by running away from another commitment, I was just digging the hole deeper for myself. I began to suspect that the reason none of my relationships had worked out in the past was because of that confinement I felt in them; I didn’t feel free or like myself. It wasn’t any of their faults or mine; I just wasn’t made to only want to feel love from one person.

He took a breath, “I realized I had to get my life together. I knew that other than Michael Scott, I only had two other people who would even give me a chance.”

“My mom and dad,” Cecelia replied softly.

Ryan nodded, “That’s right. I went to them and explained everything. I had admired them both as individuals from day one and despites the ups and downs we had working at Dunder Mifflin together, they never hesitated to help me. Your parents are the entire reason I have my son with me today. 

“That’s when they let Drake and me move in,” Ryan continued. “I think they trusted me to not mess up my life again if I were to live alone, but I also think that they knew how much I needed them both. The amount of kindness they showed me just baffled me. I never thought I could repay them—”

“You didn’t think they were going to be kind to you?” Cecelia asked, not accusatory, but questioningly.

“Ceec, you have to understand that in the time I spent with your parents at Dunder Mifflin, it felt like a lot of the time we were at odds,” Ryan explained. “I wasn’t surprised at their kindness at all, I was just shocked that they were so kind to _me_. That and I haven’t had a lot of people in my life who have shown me kindness.”

Cecelia nodded in understanding.

Ryan continued, “For the first several months, they showed no recognition of what I had hinted at that day. Those months were instead spent building a wonderful friendship with your parents and watching as you all grew. Then one day, I noticed a change. The interactions at breakfast that morning seemed different to me and I felt more involved in the conversations to and from work. That night, Jim kissed me before we went to bed and in the morning, so did Pam.” Ryan paused, almost reminiscently. “I think they weren’t sure what to make of me at that point and weren’t sure how they felt or how to approach my semi-confession. I think that they finally figured it out that day.

“Does that answer your question?” Ryan inquired.

Cecelia thought for a moment. “I guess. So, that means you’re dating both of my parents? Or, my parents are still together, but they’re also with you at the same time?”

“If that’s how you want to look at it, sure,” Ryan replied. “Your parents will always be each other’s first true loves. I’m not here to discredit that or for them to just date me when they're tired of the other. Think of it like… we’re just a team. A team of three where no one is discouraged or ignored.”

Cecelia nodded, “Alright, I suppose that makes sense. So, what does that make you to me?”

It was Ryan’s turn to ponder. “I never really thought of that. I don’t want to say ‘uncle’ since that puts me in the same realm as Tom and Pete—”

“Yeah, you’re not as bad as those two,” Cecelia admitted.

Ryan laughed, “Thanks, Ceec. I guess that I’m just Ryan then. It’s easier that way.”

Cecelia smiled, “Yeah. Just Ryan.”

They sat comfortably in silence for a moment until Cecelia spoke up again.

She cleared her throat, “So, are you—”

“Oh,” Ryan said. “Oh! Ceec, with all due respect, I don’t think you want to know if I’m having sex with _either_ of your parents.”

“Oh yeah—” she agreed, “Probably best if I don’t know.”

“Yeah. I mean, I figured that the question you really wanted to know the answer to was why I’m here so—”

“Yeah.”

“Oh shoot—” Ryan suddenly exclaimed. “Please don’t tell me that I have to have this conversation with Phillip in a year.”

Cecelia burst out laughing and Ryan quickly joined her. 

Turns out, Cecelia was alright with her parent’s boyfriend. Ryan was a pretty okay guy.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this little work of mine, please leave a kudos and/or a comment! Thanks for reading!


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